Aircraft, missiles, and other air vehicles, manned and unmanned, utilize at least some air data parameters for flight control of the vehicle. Examples of air data parameters include, for example, static pressure (atmospheric pressure), total pressure (atmospheric pressure plus additional pressure due to airflow over the vehicle), angle of attack (the vertical angle of air velocity vector) and angle of sideslip (horizontal angle of air velocity vector).
Various pitot probes, mechanical vanes, and other protrusive devices are known to be utilized in conjunction with conventional air data systems so that the total pressure, the static pressure, the angle of attack, and the angle of sideslip can be derived by the conventional air data system. Sets of flush-mounted pressure sensors are often used near the front and sides of the vehicle to measure four air data parameters: total pressure (pt), static pressure (ps), angle of attack, and angle of sideslip. Flush-mounted pressure sensors have a lower radar cross section than alternate devices that measure air data parameters.
Conventional systems require at least five pressures sensed from five different ports to determine the angle of attack (AOA), the angle of sideslip (AOS), the total pressure (pt), and the static pressure (ps). Often, more than five pressures from more than five different ports are used. Accordingly, there is a need to more efficiently determine these air data parameters.